Notes on Measures forCombating Famine and Stepping Up Economic Work[3]

Written:Written in July, not later than 9, 1921Published:First published in 1959 inLenin Miscellany XXXVI.

      Printed from the manuscript.Source:Lenin
	  Collected Works,

      1st English Edition,

      Progress Publishers,1965,

      Moscow,Volume 42,

      pages330-331.Translated:Yuri SdobnikovTranscription\Markup:D. WaltersPublic Domain:Lenin Internet Archive

      (2003).You may freely copy, distribute,
	display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and
	commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
	Archive” as your source.•README

Ifan area affected by crop failure and famine embraces a
territory with a population of twenty-five million, should we not, by a
number of revolutionary measures, take young men into the army fromthisparticular area to the number of about 500,000 (or even
perhaps up to I million?).

Purpose:to help out the famine-stricken population to some extent, as
we shall feed some of them and perhaps help others by means of parcels
which the men will send home. That is one thing. Secondly: locate these
half a million in the Ukraine, where they can help to step up food supply
work, in which. they are deeply concerned, keenly aware as they are of the
injustice of the gluttony practised by the rich peasants in the
Ukraine.

Theharvest in the Ukraine is estimated roughly (Rakovsky) at 550-650
million poods. Deducting150million poods for sowing and300(15 x 20 =
300) for feeding the family and the farm animals, we get a balance
(550-450=1 0 0; 650—450 = 2 0 0) at an average of about1 5 0 million
poods. If we post an army from the famine-stricken gubernias in the Ukraine
this balance (tax 4- barter + .special requisitions from the rich to help
the starving) could be collected in full.

Measuresshould immediately be stepped up in the famine-stricken
gubernias to collect raw materials (hides, hoofs, horns, bristles, etc.,
etc.) and it should be made a rule, incidentally, that not a pood of relief
should be rendered either for seed or food unless payment is made in one or
another form of raw materials or fallen wood fuel or similar

				stuff.[1]

Torevive the work of the gubernia, uyezd and district economic
conferences of Petrograd, Moscow, Ivanovo-Voznesensk and a few principal
industrial centres not far from the two capital cities, could not, 2-4
top-level workers of thecentral departments be assigned to each of these economic conferences?
These groups of, say, four people, could work together as a team, being
selected from among the staff of one and the same central institution or
being well acquainted with each other, and they could do regular work in
these economic councils, say, an hour a day each, making 3-4 hours a day
together?

Thecomplete or partial transfer of workers of the non-economic
commissariats to economic work could be arranged in this way: their work at
the commissariat could be shifted to the extent of three-fourths or
nine-tenths to third-rate assistants, whom they could supervise.

InMoscow (and afterwards in other places) all top-level Party workers
should be mobilised foreconomicwork in this way:

everytop-level Party worker of anon-economic commissariat

takes alow-level economicjob, for which purpose he joins some
factory committee (or house or block committee)—no organisationhighertitan that (in order to work at low-level)—and undertakes
to devote no less than two hours a day to this work. Priority is to be
given to the work of distributing foodstuffs, raising the level of the
economic branch concerned, and fuel supply.

Itis important thateachworker’s assignment should be
precisely defined.

Shouldwe not, simultaneously with the registration of top-level Party
workers on 1.VII.1921, organise the registration of all members of the
R.C.P. in Moscow (and perhaps in Petrograd as well?)? Enlist for this the
services of the Gubernia Statistical Bureau. Obtain exact figures on the

				Party.[2]

[1]Inthe manuscript this paragraph has been crossed out by
Lenin.—Ed.

[2]Thisparagraph in the manuscript has been crossed out by
Lenin.—Ed.

[3]Inview of the famine that attacked the Volga region and south Ukraine
in 1921, the Politbureau on July 9, 1921, passed a decision for the
transfer of a maximum number of Communists to food supply work.

Lenin’s“Notes” were written apparently in
preparation for the discussion of this question at the meeting of the
Politbureau.